I know this is of the topic and I do not know what state you are in but here is what happens in relation to stolen goods in NSW and a similar thing happens here in WA
How are stolen goods recovered in pawnbrokers’ or second-hand dealers’ shops? When a person complains to a licensee that goods in the possession of the licensee are their property, the licensee is to advise them to go to a Police station. A sign specifying this is to be erected in each of the licensees’ business premises (see What signs do I need to display? section above). If the theft or unlawful dealing of the goods has been reported to the Police on an earlier occasion, then the person (known as a claimant) must then provide Police with documentary evidence of ownership or a statutory declaration and make a written claim to the Police that they are the owner of the goods and that the goods have been stolen or otherwise unlawfully dealt with. If the Police Officer has no reason to suspect that the documents or statements are false or misleading in a material particular, then he/she may serve on the licensee what is known as a Restoration Notice.
Upon being served with a restoration notice a licensee has 28 days to either return the goods to the claimant or lodge a hearing to have the matter resolved with the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal.
The licensee must retain the goods, unaltered until the matter is resolved. If criminal proceedings in relation to the theft of the goods are commenced, the police will notify licensees of that commencement and the goods must be retained unaltered until those proceedings are completed. If no decision is made about ownership of the goods during those proceedings, the 28 day period will carry on at the conclusion of those proceedings.
And here is the source, a bit more substantial than the 7:30 report
